School Bus Drivers Trying To Keep the Peace

Pulling out of the parking lot of Starr Elementary School in Oregon,
Ohio, with a busload of 50 students was just part of the daily routine
for veteran school bus driver Shirley Sullivan.

But one day this month, as she approached a busy intersection, the
increasing noise level of the students caused her to pull the bus into
a day-care center's parking lot to calm the students down.

It was not an unprecedented move by the driver. And similar scenes
get played out on school buses around the country every school day, as
unruly or merely high-spirited youngsters force drivers to play
disciplinarian and amateur child psychologist.

"Discipline is one of the most serious problems we face," said Bette
Norris, the director of driver development, safety, and training for
passenger services with Laidlaw Transit Inc., the nation's largest
school bus contractor. "A split-second distraction can set up an
accident."

For drivers of the 400,000 school buses on the road, student
management ranks just behind safety and driving instruction as a
critical issue, according to the National School Transportation
Association, a Springfield, Va.-based group representing school
transportation contractors.

Burlington, Ontario-based Laidlaw, which transports nearly 2.2
million U.S. and Canadian students every school day, says its potential
drivers must have 20 hours of student management and discipline
training.

Before a potential driver can get behind the wheel, he or she must
spend time in class learning discipline techniques, watch videos on
student management, and observe other school bus drivers in action,
according to Ms. Norris.

Each of the company's 45,000 drivers is evaluated at least twice a
year, and most of Laidlaw's buses have video cameras on board. And
although drivers are provided with preliminary training through
contractors, they must also be trained to follow district discipline
policies and procedures.

"There are as many different policies on discipline as there are
school districts," Ms. Norris said.

While districts have their own policies, most school systems also
provide in-service training to bus drivers, part of which helps them to
deal with students, said Gary Marx, a senior associate executive
director at the American Association of School Administrators in
Arlington, Va.

Most contractors have their drivers follow the rules in the Handbook
of Basic Student Transportation Contract Language and Explanations,
provided by the school transportation association. According to the
handbook, contractors' drivers are responsible only for such discipline
as is required to safely and properly operate buses. Drivers are told
to handle disciplinary matters in strict accordance with district
policy.

But school bus drivers are not without recourse. Although they are
not allowed to take discipline into their own hands, they may act
reasonably--stop the bus, return to the school, or write student
discipline reports--to maintain student order.

Trouble on the Road

And incidents do occur. Last month, a school bus driver in Omaha,
Neb., was fired for ordering elementary school pupils off his bus. And,
also in September, a driver in Greenville, S.C., made a detour to the
Greenville County Law Enforcement Center after rowdy students refused
to calm down. The driver got a police escort so that she could complete
the rest of her route.

Even when drivers have received proper training and know district
policy, they still have to contend with 40 to 50 students in one
contained area. That was the case for Ms. Sullivan.

Despite having eight years of driving experience under her belt,
things got out of hand for the Ohio driver after she stopped her bus to
regain order, according to district officials.

Some parents went to the day-care center parking lot, but a bus aide
sent to the scene by district officials refused to let them take their
children off the bus because of a district policy. Once students are on
a bus, they may not be released until they reach their destination, the
policy states.

The incident snowballed, said Vicki Laurell, the director of
transportation for the 4,000-student Oregon, Ohio, school district. And
what started as a measure the driver took to maintain discipline led to
parents' claiming the driver was holding students hostage, she
said.

When parents, administrators, and the driver met to talk about the
incident, district officials--who felt that Ms. Sullivan had acted
appropriately--stood behind her.

In essence, there is a triangle of responsibility for school bus
discipline that involves the parents, the district, and the driver, Ms.
Norris of Laidlaw said. But, "the driver has the primary
challenge."

"Riding the bus is an extension of the school day. ... The same
thing can happen to a bus driver as a school teacher."

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